Artillery was one of the most important weapons of the First World War : the immense majority of the human losses were caused by its guns. Let us dedicate to that technique a little time, in order to draw the main lines, before discovering the projectiles which one can still find on the ancient battlefields.

Intentionally avoiding to consider this gun as the best one of the world, and thus to repeat the blindness of the French staff of 1914, who believed so much in the omnipotence of 'notre 75 ' that it forsook completely to invest in heavy artillery, let us take this gun as a support to explain the functioning of this weapon at the beginning of the 20th century.

General configuration

The 75 gun was composed of a forged steel tube weighting 460 kg, assembled on a mounting. The interior of the gun was machined with the calibre of 75 mm and included 24 spiral grooves. These rifling grooves gave to the shell a rotational movement around its main axis (spin), which improved the stability of its trajectory thanks to the gyroscopic effect. The length of the tube was of 36,6 calibres, that is 36,6 X 75 mm = 2745 mm.

The longer the tube is and longer the shell is propelled by gases, thus the bigger its initial speed increase, improving the maximum range of the shot. For instance, the 2136 mm tube of the German gun 77mm FK96, lengthened in 1916 to 2743 mm (version 77 mm FK16) made it possible inter alia improvements to increase the initial speed of the shell from 460m/s to 600 m/s, and the range from 5500 m to 10500 m.

The carriage was equipped with an axle receiving the wooden wheels, a trail ended with a spade to anchor the gun on the ground, an armoured shield to protect the crew, and a directional cradle for elevation pointing (between -11° and +18°) via the elevating crank and the range scale. The tube rested on the cradle by trunnions.

Hydropneumatic brake (recoiling system)

The gun was equipped with a hydropneumatic brake (or 'recoiling system') mechanism, intended to absorb the considerable recoiling energy at the firing on a total course of 1093 mm and to restore it automatically to draw back the gun in position without a need for re-pointing (see diagram).

To fix the ideas, the departure of the 5.5 kg shell at the velocity of 625 m/s (at the gun muzzle) theoretically applied by reaction a backwards force of one ton approximately to the 1.14 tons gun, giving it an initial recoil speed of about 7,5 m/s... Without the brake system, the gun would have gone backwards for several meters, or, stopped by the spade, would have dangerously jumped on its position !

The shell was fixed to the cartridge containing the propelling load ('fixed' configuration). This solution highly accelerated the loading procedure of the 75 mm gun which could be done with only one man, unlike most of the other guns of the time for which shells and cartridges were often separately handled.

Breech

The ammunition was charged, and the empty cartridge ejected by the back mechanism of the gun, called the breech. The handling of this device was to be fast, and had to lock in a firm and sealed way the bottom of the gun for the shooting operation. The device of the 75 mm gun, with its eccentric mechanism, was particularly well designed :

- Closed breech, ready for the firing

- Opened breech, ready for charging

The firing device functioned by percussion of a needle through the breech on the bottom primer cap of the shell, started by simple traction on a cord.

This gun was sending its shells up to 6860 m, at the rate of a hit every 6 seconds. The French Armies had nearly 4800 specimens of this weapon in 1914. (As an information, in 1918 more than 17300 guns of 75mm were in service...)

The contemporary guns had adopted the majority of the devices present on this one, with some modifications. In particular, certain models of recoiling systems were rather of hydro-mechanical type (oil + spring), and the breech closing mechanisms of the ‘sliding breechblock’ type (Germany), or of 'interrupted screw' (England and France).

The French began the war with a fleet of almost 5000 field guns, based primarily on the 75 mm. They exhumed certain higher calibers from the arsenals and fortresses, most of them being obsolete, to face the German power, while preparing the development of new models and continuing to manufacture more and more 75 mm tubes.

The Germans had, throughout all the war, their quite efficient field gun of 77 mm, with a lengthened tube for a greater range since 1916. But numerous other calibers were also used in their field artillery, including the famous 100 and 105 mm.

In 1914 :5068 g. of 77 mm1934 g. of 76.5 mm (Austr.)1260 g. of 105 mm420 g. of 104 mm (Austr.)Finally some new weapons :g. de 77 mm long tubeg. of 88 mmg. of 90 mmc. of 100 mmh. of 100 mmg. of 105 mmetc...

The British Forces, at the beginning of the war, sent on the continent battlefields a relatively weak army. The number of guns was also quite small, and of relatively poor quality in comparison of the French and German weapons. Thereafter, they developed a powerful artillery.

In 1914 :245 g. of 3 in (13 pdr) 897 g. of 3.3 in (18 pdr)169 h. of 4.5 inThen some improvisation :c. de 4.7 inFinally some new weapons :h. of 4 ing. of 5 inetc...

To be complete, let us note that at the beginning of the war, Russia had 76.2 mm and 122 mm field guns, in sufficient quantities, and Belgium had German 75 mm guns (manufactured by Cockerill in Liège under a Krupp licence), and French 120 mm. Afterwards, these nations, as well as the United States, were largely supplied with the best French and English models.

The Germans, on the other hand, anticipated the fact that the execution of their famous ' Schlieffen' Plan, intended to conquest irresistibly the western Europe, would require to crush the enemy fortified positions, and therefore equipped their armies with large caliber or great range material since 1914.

Thereafter, during the conflict, the metallurgical industries of all the belligerents, financed by the staffs, developed an arsenal of heavy but mobile guns.

The French had at the beginning of the campaign only some 155 mm howitzers, yet an already obsolete modernization of old tubes. In the urgency, they rehabilitated old fortresses weapons of various calibers, then developed modern and efficient weapons.

In 1914 :104 h. of 155 mm (Rimailho)Then some improvisation :m. of 220 mmm. of 270 mmm. of 280 mmh. of 145 mm (marine)Finally, some new weapons :h. of 155 mm Schneiderh. of 155 mm 'GPF'h. of 194 mm 'GPF'etc...

The Germans had from the very beginning of the conflict a satisfactory quantity of heavy guns... This fire power, sufficiently mobile, reinforced by the excellent Austrian weapons manufactured in the Skoda factories, had a major role in the crushing of the resistance points during the mobile warfare, and then made awful devastations during the war of position.

In 1914 :416 h. of 150 mm112 h. of 150 mm (Austr.)h. of 210 mmFinally, some new weapons :h. of 130 mmh. of 150 mmh. of 170 mmh. of 185 mmh. of 210 mmetc...

The English equipped their 1914 expeditionary force with a nearly anecdotic quantity of heavy guns, of desperately small range. Like the French armies, they however quickly decided to design and build many heavy guns thereafter.

In 1914 :g. of 5 in86 h. of 6 inFinally, some new weapons :h. of 6 inh. of 8 inh. of 9.2 inetc...

It is the Germans, assisted by their Austrian ally, who launched this competition, introducing on the battle fields yet in 1914 very large calibers (305 mm and 420 mm), transported in several parts by road, and intended to crush the Belgians and French fortresses. They did not fail in their mission, as can nowadays testify the ruins of these fortresses, that you can still visit.

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Who never heard about the ‘Big Bertha’ - "Gross Bertha", nickname given by the Germans themselves ("Dicke Bertha") to the M-Gerät 420 mm Kurze MarineKanone ? Imitating the French army after 1916, the armies of Kaiser put on wagons the increasingly heavy calibers (150, 170, 210, 240, 280, 305, 355, 390 mm)

The lengthening of the ranges of certain calibers gave birth to other guns (170, 210, 240, 285, 355, 380 mm), whose most famous shelled Paris from a distance of more than 108 km with projectiles of 210 mm ! Incorrectly called "Big Bertha" by the French press, its true name was "Lange max"

Finally convinced of the utility to develop very large calibers, the French ended up being equipped with very good superheavy or long range guns (155, 194, 220, 240, 270, 280, 293, 370 mm). They were also the very first to exhume the ancient idea of mounting guns on wagons traveling on conventional of railways to increase the mobility, and developed railway guns of calibers 160, 190, 194, 200, 240, 270, 274, 293, 305, 320, 340 and 400 mm.

These guns crushed their own French fortresses in the Verdun battle. Think in particular, when you visit Douaumont, that this fortress was crushed by German 420 mm, as well as by French 400 mm shells !

Monsters of 480 and 520 mm were even designed, but they did not take part in the conflict. These dinosaurs weighed between 24 and 65 tons, their shells could exceed the size of a man and weighted more than one ton...

The English took an active part in this race for gigantism. Their experience with the naval guns, acquired with the supremacy of their famous fleet, enabled them to bring into service at the same time mounted guns (3, 3.3, 3.7 4.5, 4.77, 5, 6, 8, 9.2 in) and railway weapons (9.2, 12, 14, 15, 18 in).

Once again, the Germans were the promptest to implement this new weapon. Considering, accordingly to one of the many lessons of the Russo-Japanese war of 1904, that a heavy weapon able to carry out curved shootings on the enemy at very short distance with very large loads of explosive was necessary, they developed three categories of ' Minenwerfers':

Schwerer Minenwerfer (sMW) of large caliber (250 mm). 44 of these guns were available in August 1914

Mittelere Minenwerfer (mMW) of intermediate caliber (170 mm). 116 items were available in August 1914

Leichte Minenwerfer (lMW) of small caliber (77 mm), which were only prototypes in August 1914, but promised with a very large success

Germans also withdrew of small bomb launchers (' LadungsWerfer') from their fortresses, and brought them in the first line trenches to sent on the ‘poilus’ a large and impressive variety of projectiles of all calibers.

Experts in this technology, their ‘mine thrower’ mortars (' MinenWerfer') of the ' Albrecht' and ' Ehrardt' types were employed on the whole frontline, in various calibers (77, 170, 175, 180, 245, 250, 340 mm). An ultra light model (' kleine Granatwerfer 16 ' - ' PriestMortär' - thus called because its Hungarian inventor was a former catholic pastor apprentice...) was introduced in 1916. It is presented in my section called the grenades the grenades...

As an answer to the frightening German 'minenwerfers', the French exhumed from their arsenals old mortars having more than 50 years of age, which had been conceived by the engineers of Napoleon III to launch cast iron balls (e.g. of 150 mm) ! Their compact size induced their nickname ' Crapouillots'. But as soos as 1915, a new series of 58 mm mortars was used to send high explosive torpedoes equipped with rear wings and with a tail that was threaded in the cast iron tube.

The good old French 'D.I.Y.' mind bring its contribution by giving birth to strange apparatus manufactured with cartridges and unexploded 75 and 77 mm shells, as dangerous for the bombers than for the bombed... Finally, new modern trench artillery guns were put into active service before the end of the conflict (75, 150, 240 mm). This story is the one of the 'Crapouillots', so well told by Pierre Waline in his book of the same name.

The English also designed trench artillery, the most famous of theses weapons being the famous 'Stokes' mortar.

But these armored mole-casts were also equipped with artillery, often retractable under steel cupolas. The fortresses of a fortified belt were laid out to take under their cross shooting the accesses of the cities that they defended, and were also able to shot on each other, to give assistance to theirs when the enemy infantry was invading their superstructures !

Having a walk on an old battle field is enough to see the effects of a 1914-1918 artillery shelling. Overturned ground, jointed and superimposed shell holes of several meters of diameter and depth, the destruction of the organized positions is often total, so much so that the fighters ended up using the craters themselves as individual resistance holes.

The fire power is phenomenal and grew with the years in this the conflict: from the first fights of the mobile warfare to the massive artillery preparations ramming during several days the enemy positions before the great offensives, the orders of magnitude changed.

Some examples :

The offensive of Champagne and Artois in September 1915 consumed in two months nearly 8 million shell of 75, 155 and 220 mm on a total frontline of 50 km.

During the offensive of the Chemin des Dames ('Ladies' Way') in 1917, the French artillery shot nearly 19 million shell, on a frontline of less than 40 km within a period of two months !

Another evidence of this flood of fire is accessible from a simple glance on the remains that can be found on these same battle fields : quantities of lead balls, of small or great glares of steel, or shell fuzes which, projected to several hundreds of km/h, had devastating effects.

It is really a soldiers chopper that felt down on the troops taken under a shelling, and the wounds were generally horrible, most of the time lethal.

Disintegrated bodies, men cut in two pieces, torn off members, disfigured faces or white bled bodies by a small hole bored by a tiny glare, 80% of the human losses of the Great War were hit by the effects of artillery.

In certain cases, the side effects only could as surely kill or injure : the explosion blow that projected the bodies or destroyed the lungs, deep burns by the heat of the flames, live burial in the upset shelters, or psychological shock ' simply' stunned or even drove insane.

Same editor (Crowood) and same pictures richness, but two differents authors : Allied Artillery of World War One (Ian V. Hogg), and German Artillery of World War One (Herbert Jäger).

The second tome of the celeb L'Uniforme et les Armes des Soldats de la Guerre 1914-1918 (Liliane et Fred Funcken), dedicates some good chapters to the artillery of the different countries.

The WW1 period publications often are very interesting, like this Manuel du Gradé de l'Artillerie (Artillery Officer Handbook), or this wonderful Cours de Munitions (Lessons in Ammunitions), Ecole Militaire de l'Artillerie, Avril 1916 that belong to a young officer apprentice who later went to the front.